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Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0

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A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 12830

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Prof. Dr. Alexander Rapoport

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Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
Interests: yeast cytology; yeast physiology; yeast biotechnology; yeast response to stress treatments; intracellular protective reactions; dehydration-rehydration of microorganisms; anhydrobiosis; bioconversion of lignocellulose
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Prof. Dr. Pietro Buzzini

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Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Interests: agricultural; food microbiology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many kinds of natural waste material have the potential to be converted into high-value products, including biofuels, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, cosmetics, and fine chemicals. Examples include lignocellulosic materials, including various cellulose-containing energy crops, forestry waste, agriculture residues, and wastes from biorefineries, pulp mills and other industries. What is more, lignocellulose is a renewable resource that is inexpensive and readily available in most parts of the world. Its constituents—hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin—each have value for microbial bioconversions. Lignocellulosic biomass can contribute to global energy supply without competing with the need for agricultural food production.

This Special Issue invites research opinion and review articles relating to the conversion of lignocellulose to value-added products, including pre-treatments. Topics include (but are not restricted to):

Obtaining different products from lignocellulose;
Bioprospecting for novel microbes;
Use of microbial consortia;
Toxicity of breakdown products;
Bioinformatic approaches;
Metabolic engineering;
Manipulation of phenotypic plasticity;
Enzyme kinetics;
Anaerobic fermentation;
Substrate formulation and pre-treatment;
Combining biological and chemical approaches;
Cell-free systems;
Renewable energy;
Bioprocess optimization.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Rapoport
Prof. Dr. Pietro Buzzini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

bioprocessing
cellulose
fermentation
hemicellulose
lignin
lignocellulose
metabolic engineering
microbial factories
value-added products

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Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products in Fermentation (11 articles)
Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products in Fermentation

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 931 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Oxidative Phosphorylation for Aerobic Survival, but Not for Growth: The Peculiar ‘Make-Accumulate-Consume’ Strategy in Zymomonas mobilis

by Inese Strazdina, Mara Bikerniece, Evelina Rezija Paegle, Karlis Shvirksts, Mara Grube, Zane Lasa, Reinis Rutkis and Uldis Kalnenieks

Fermentation 2023, 9(11), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9110951 - 02 Nov 2023

Viewed by 974

Abstract

Understanding the energy metabolism and its regulation is one of the clues to metabolic engineering of stress-resistant lignocellulose-converting microbial strains, also including the promising ethanologen Zymomonas mobilis. Z. mobilis is an obligately fermentative, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, carrying an active respiratory chain with low energy-coupling efficiency. Its respiration does not supply energy to aerobically growing cultures on sugary media, yet oxidative phosphorylation has been demonstrated in non-growing cells with ethanol. Here, we show, for the first time, that in respiring, non-growing Z. mobilis cells receiving regular small amounts of ethanol, oxidative phosphorylation significantly contributes to the maintenance of their viability. No improvement of viability is seen in the NADH dehydrogenase (ndh)-deficient respiratory mutant, which is unable to oxidize ethanol. The ethanol effect is also hampered by the protonophoric uncoupler CCCP, or the inhibitor of ATP synthase, DCCD. At higher concentrations (6% v/v), ethanol causes stress that slows down culture growth. By monitoring the activity of several respiratory gene promoters under ethanol stress with the green fluorescent protein reporter system, we demonstrate downregulation of these promoters, in particular the ndh promoter. We speculate that the decrease in respiratory chain activity in response to stress conditions mitigates the production of reactive oxygen species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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15 pages, 1180 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Blue LED Light on Bioemulsifier Production in Bioreactor by Aureobasidium pullulans LB83 in Solid State Fermentation

by Daylin Rubio-Ribeaux, Rogger Alessandro Mata da Costa, Renan Murbach Pereira, Paulo Ricardo Franco Marcelino, Fernanda Perpétua Casciatori, Júlio César dos Santos and Silvio Silvério da Silva

Fermentation 2023, 9(11), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9110946 - 31 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1097

Abstract

This study analyzed the impact of LED light on bioemulsifier production by Aureobasidium pullulans LB83 in solid-state fermentation (SSF) using pre-treated sugarcane bagasse (PSB). The biomass was subjected to alkaline pre-treatment and conducted fermentations in Erlenmeyer flasks containing 2 g of PSB that were immersed in a humectant solution with a cell concentration of 10⁸ cells/mL. The screening involved varying LED light wavelengths (green, red, orange, and blue) over a 7-day period at 28 °C. Notably, under the influence of blue light, the process achieved maximum production, yielding an EI_24% of 63.9% and 45.1% for soybean oil and kerosene, respectively. Prolonged exposure to blue light for 11 days at 28 °C resulted in maximum bioemulsifier production (75%) and cellulolytic enzyme activity (3.67 IU g⁻¹ for endoglucanase and 0.41 IU g⁻¹ for exoglucanase) with soybean oil and kerosene. Experiments in a bioreactor, with varying light conditions (dark, white light, and blue LED light), demonstrated that the blue LED bioreactor outperformed others, achieving EI_24% values of 55.0% and 45.7% for soybean oil and kerosene, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed yeast growth under these conditions after 9 days. Our findings highlight the significant potential of LED light to enhance bioemulsifier production by A. pullulans LB83 from PSB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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14 pages, 2242 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioacetoin Production by Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis Using Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Lignocellulosic Biomass

by Meenaxi Saini, Anu, Alexander Rapoport, Santosh Kumar Tiwari, Davender Singh, Vinay Malik, Sandeep Kumar and Bijender Singh

Fermentation 2023, 9(8), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9080698 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 996

Abstract

Acetoin is an important bio-product useful in the chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries. Microbial fermentation is the major process for the production of bioacetoin, as the petroleum resources used in chemical methods are depleting day by day. Bioacetoin production using wild microorganisms is an easy, eco-friendly and economical method for the production of bioacetoin. In the present study, culture conditions and nutritional requirements were optimized for bioacetoin production by a wild and non-pathogenic strain of B. subtilis subsp. subtilis JJBS250. The bacterial culture produced maximum bioacetoin (259 mg L⁻¹) using peptone (3%) and sucrose (2%) at 30 °C, 150 rpm and pH 7.0 after 24 h. Further supplementation of combinatorial nitrogen sources, i.e., peptone (1%) and urea (0.5%), resulted in enhanced titre of bioacetoin (1017 mg L⁻¹) by the bacterial culture. An approximately 46.22–fold improvement in bioacetoin production was achieved after the optimization process. The analysis of samples using thin layer chromatography confirmed the presence of bioacetoin in the culture filtrate. The enzymatic hydrolysate was obtained by saccharification of pretreated rice straw and sugarcane bagasse using cellulase from Myceliophthora thermophila. Fermentation of the enzymatic hydrolysate (3%) of pretreated rice straw and sugarcane bagasse by the bacterial culture resulted in 210 and 473.17 mgL⁻¹ bioacetoin, respectively. Enzymatic hydrolysates supplemented with peptone as a nitrogen source showed a two to four-fold improvement in the production of bioacetoin. Results have demonstrated the utility of wild type B. subtilis subsp. subtilis JJBS250 as a potential source for economical bioacetoin production by making use of renewable and cost-effective lignocellulosic substrate. Therefore, this study will help in the sustainable management of agricultural waste for the industrial production of bioacetoin, and in combating environmental pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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14 pages, 1171 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Valorisation of Waste Bread for the Production of Yeast Biomass by Yarrowia lipolytica Bioreactor Fermentation

by Erdem Carsanba, Bilal Agirman, Seraphim Papanikolaou, Patrick Fickers and Huseyin Erten

Fermentation 2023, 9(7), 687; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9070687 - 21 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1354

Abstract

The increase in the wastage of bread, representing 12.5 million tons per year, causes ecological problems, such as the production of methane and CO₂, when that waste bread (WB) is improperly managed. To reduce this ecological footprint, a more sustainable system of WB management must be set up. Based on its chemical composition, WB has a high potential to be used as feedstock for microbial growth and conversion into value-added bio products. The microbial valorisation of WB is a novel biotechnological approach to upgrading a waste into a renewable feedstock for bio-based industry, thus favouring the circular economy concept. Based on this, the aim of this study was to test WB as a feedstock for biomass production by Yarrowia lipolytica, which can be considered as a promising supplement for animal and human dietary products. The enzymatic hydrolysis of WB was primarily optimized for large-scale production in a bioreactor. The biomass production of Y. lipolytica strain K57 on WB hydrolysate-based media in batch bioreactor culture was then investigated. As a result, a very high starch to glucose conversion yield of 97% was obtained throughout optimised hydrolysis. At the end of 47 h of batch culture, a biomass higher than 62 g/L, specific growth rate of 0.37 h⁻¹ and biomass yield of 0.45 g/g were achieved from a WB hydrolysate. Therefore, this study demonstrates that WB hydrolysate has a promising potential to be used as a feedstock for biomass production by Y. lipolytica strain K57 for food and animal diet applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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14 pages, 1656 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving the Agronomic Value of Paddy Straw Using Trichoderma harzianum, Eisenia fetida and Cow Dung

by Neetu Sharma, Jagjeet Singh, Bijender Singh and Vinay Malik

Fermentation 2023, 9(7), 671; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9070671 - 17 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1453

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of inoculation of Trichoderma harzianum, Eisenia fetida and cow dung on the physicochemical quality of paddy straw composting which was carried out for 90 days. The different treatment groups were Paddy straw (T₀), Paddy straw + Cow dung (T₁), Paddy straw + Cow dung + Eisenia fetida (T₂), Paddy straw + Cow dung + Trichoderma harzianum (T₃), Paddy straw + Cow dung + Eisenia fetida + Trichoderma harzianum (T₄). The ratio of cow dung and paddy straw was 2:1. Among all treatments, T₄ was identified as the best treatment for decomposing the paddy straw as it recovered the nutrients within the recommended levels of a high-quality product. The consortium of Trichoderma harzianum, Eisenia fetida and cow dung lowered the total organic carbon (TOC) and C:N ratio by 28.8% and 33.1%, respectively, at pH 6.5. The increase in N (0.87%), P (0.47%), K (2.66%), Ca (0.033%), Mg (0.056%) and Na (0.42%) was significant in T₄ treatment. The micronutrients, namely Cu (47.9 ppm), Fe (1128 ppm) and Zn (500 ppm), also showed a significant increase in this treatment, i.e., T₄. Therefore, results suggested that combinatorial composting by Trichoderma harzianum, Eisenia fetida and cow dung is quite promising in the decomposition of paddy straw to obtain quality compost in a short time. Furthermore, this study will help in the sustainable management of paddy straw with concomitant reduction inenvironmental pollution caused by the open burning of paddy straw. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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13 pages, 912 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Engineering the Metabolic Profile of Clostridium cellulolyticum with Genomic DNA Libraries

by Benjamin G. Freedman, Parker W. Lee and Ryan S. Senger

Fermentation 2023, 9(7), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9070605 - 27 Jun 2023

Viewed by 816

Abstract

Clostridium cellulolyticum H10 (ATCC 35319) has the ability to ferment cellulosic substrates into ethanol and weak acids. The growth and alcohol production rates of the wild-type organism are low and, therefore, targets of metabolic engineering. A genomic DNA expression library was produced by a novel application of degenerate oligonucleotide primed PCR (DOP-PCR) and was serially enriched in C. cellulolyticum grown on cellobiose in effort to produce fast-growing and productive strains. The DNA library produced from DOP-PCR contained gene-sized DNA fragments from the C. cellulolyticum genome and from the metagenome of a stream bank soil sample. The resulting enrichment yielded a conserved phage structural protein fragment (part of Ccel_2823) from the C. cellulolyticum genome that, when overexpressed alone, enabled the organism to increase the ethanol yield by 250% compared to the plasmid control strain. The engineered strain showed a reduced production of lactate and a 250% increased yield of secreted pyruvate. Significant changes in growth rate were not seen in this engineered strain, and it is possible that the enriched protein fragment may be combined with the existing rational metabolic engineering strategies to yield further high-performing cellulolytic strains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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12 pages, 1616 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcription Analysis of the Acid Tolerance Mechanism of Pichia kudriavzevii NBRC1279 and NBRC1664

by Hironaga Akita and Akinori Matsushika

Fermentation 2023, 9(6), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9060559 - 12 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1146

Abstract

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) has been investigated for the efficient production of ethanol because it has several advantages such as simplifying the manufacturing process, operating easily, and reducing energy input. Previously, using lignocellulosic biomass as source materials, we succeeded in producing ethanol by SSF with Pichia kudriavzevii NBRC1279 and NBRC1664. However, various acids that fermentation inhibitors are also produced by the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, and the extent to which these acids affect the growth and ethanol productivity of the two strains has not yet been investigated. In this study, to better understand the acid tolerance mechanism of the two strains, a spot assay, growth experiment, and transcriptome analysis were carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 as a control. When the three strains were cultured in SCD medium containing 15 mM formic acid, 35 mM sulfuric acid, 60 mM hydrochloric acid, 100 mM acetic acid, or 550 mM lactic acid, only P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664 could grow well under all conditions, and it showed the fastest growth rates. The transcriptome analysis showed that “MAPK signaling pathway-yeast” was significantly enriched in P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664 cultured with 60 mM hydrochloric acid, and most genes involved in the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway were up-regulated. Therefore, the up-regulation of the HOG pathway may be important for adapting to acid stress in P. kudriavzevii. Moreover, the log₂-transformed fold change value in the expression level of Gpd1 was 1.3-fold higher in P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664 than in P. kudriavzevii NBRC1279, indicating that high Gpd1 expression may be accountable for the higher acid tolerance of P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664. The transcriptome analysis performed in this study provides preliminary knowledge of the molecular mechanism of acid stress tolerance in P. kudriavzevii. Our data may be useful for future studies on methods to improve the tolerance of P. kudriavzevii to acids produced from lignocellulose hydrolysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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20 pages, 3070 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Alkaline and Mechanical Pretreatment of Wheat Straw on Enrichment Cultures from Pachnoda marginata Larva Gut

by Bruna Grosch Schroeder, Havva Betül İstanbullu, Matthias Schmidt, Washington Logroño, Hauke Harms and Marcell Nikolausz

Fermentation 2023, 9(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9010060 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1670

Abstract

In order to partially mimic the efficient lignocellulose pretreatment process performed naturally in the gut system of Pachnoda marginata larvae, two wheat straw pretreatments were evaluated: a mechanical pretreatment via cutting the straw into two different sizes and an alkaline pretreatment with calcium hydroxide. After pretreatment, gut enrichment cultures on wheat straw at alkaline pH were inoculated and kept at mesophilic conditions over 45 days. The methanogenic community was composed mainly of the Methanomicrobiaceae and Methanosarcinaceae families. The combined pretreatment, size reduction and alkaline pretreatment, was the best condition for methane production. The positive effect of the straw pretreatment was higher in the midgut cultures, increasing the methane production by 192%, while for hindgut cultures the methane production increased only by 149% when compared to non-pretreated straw. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the alkaline pretreatment modified the surface of the wheat straw fibers, which promoted biofilm formation and microbial growth. The enrichment cultures derived from larva gut microbiome were able to degrade larger 1 mm alkaline treated and smaller 250 µm but non-pretreated straw at the same efficiency. The combination of mechanical and alkaline pretreatments resulted in increased, yet not superimposed, methane yield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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Review

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25 pages, 1094 KiB

Open AccessReview

An Overview of Lignocellulose and Its Biotechnological Importance in High-Value Product Production

by Abidemi Oluranti Ojo

Fermentation 2023, 9(11), 990; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9110990 - 20 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2616

Abstract

Lignocellulose consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin and is a sustainable feedstock for a biorefinery to generate marketable biomaterials like biofuels and platform chemicals. Enormous tons of lignocellulose are obtained from agricultural waste, but a few tons are utilized due to a lack of awareness of the biotechnological importance of lignocellulose. Underutilizing lignocellulose could also be linked to the incomplete use of cellulose and hemicellulose in biotransformation into new products. Utilizing lignocellulose in producing value-added products alleviates agricultural waste disposal management challenges. It also reduces the emission of toxic substances into the environment, which promotes a sustainable development goal and contributes to circular economy development and economic growth. This review broadly focused on lignocellulose in the production of high-value products. The aspects that were discussed included: (i) sources of lignocellulosic biomass; (ii) conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products; and (iii) various bio-based products obtained from lignocellulose. Additionally, several challenges in upcycling lignocellulose and alleviation strategies were discussed. This review also suggested prospects using lignocellulose to replace polystyrene packaging with lignin-based packaging products, the production of crafts and interior decorations using lignin, nanolignin in producing environmental biosensors and biomimetic sensors, and processing cellulose and hemicellulose with the addition of nutritional supplements to meet dietary requirements in animal feeding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Materials to Value-Added Products 2.0)

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